My rich and delicious Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes are so tasty no one will ever know they're made with a cake mix hack! Perfectly festive for the holidays, they're easy to make and ready in just 35 minutes.
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Why You'll Love Hot Cocoa Cupcakes
You know I love a good cake mix hack! As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing better than working smarter, not harder. Doctoring up a cake mix to achieve a super moist and flavorful cake is definitely smart — and much easier than making it from scratch.
I decided to take my favorite cake mix hack recipe and turn it from basic chocolate cupcakes to make these fantastic easy cupcakes for Christmas- it's a flavor combo that I cannot seem to get enough of! They go together so deliciously and feel especially festive around the holidays. In case that's not enough reason to try them, they are also:
- Adorable handheld dessert option
- Festive
- Perfect to bring to parties
- Incredibly easy
- Kid-friendly (and approved by my daughter)
Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- Chocolate Cake Mix- You can use your preferred brand of chocolate cake mix. Sometimes I'll also use dark chocolate for an even more intense flavor. You'll also need whatever ingredients the mix calls for. I also use
- Hot Chocolate Mix- I added hot cocoa into the cake mix to make it extra chocolatey and delicious!
- Peppermint Extract- An excellent way to add it bit of minty goodness without overwhelming the entire recipe.
- Other Cake Mix Ingredients- Round out this cake mix hack with water, vegetable oil, eggs (5 eggs to be exact, and yes this is totally necessary).
- Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips- I add these directly into the cake batter to add some nice texture and even more minty flavor.
- Heavy Cream & Powdered Sugar- To make your homemade whipped cream frosting. It's the perfect topping and fits so well with the theme. This is modeled after a comforting mug of hot chocolate after all!
- Garnish- I opted to top the mint chocolate cupcakes with sugar sprinkles and festive paper straws, but you could also go with mini marshmallows if you'd like.
How To Make This Hot Cocoa Cupcake Recipe
Step 1- Prepare the cake batter.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Add the cake mix, hot chocolate mix, water, oil, eggs, and peppermint extract and mix until combined. Fold in the peppermint baking chips and mix.
Step 2- Bake.
Evenly distribute the chocolate peppermint cupcake batter into the muffin tin so each cup is ¾ full and bake for 17-20 minutes. Allow them to cool completely.
Step 4- Make the whipped cream.
Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and remaining peppermint extract to a very cold metal bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until fluffy slightly stiff peaks form.
Step 5- Decorate.
Use a piping bag and tip to top your mint chocolate cupcakes with the whipped cream. Add sprinkles and a straw as a garnish and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! I love the Andes chips but I know they can sometimes be difficult to find. You can always use any kind of peppermint-flavored chocolate chips, or even regular chocolate chips in a pinch. Or just chop up Andes mints.
The key is to use a very cold metal bowl, and to make sure it's clean and dry before you add the ingredients! Any excess moisture will throw the whole thing off.
Yes — which is especially helpful for party prep! You can make the cupcakes up to 2 days in advance. Follow the instructions on the recipe card, but hold off on frosting and decorating until just before serving.
While you can use whatever cake mix you'd like, I wouldn't recommend deviating too far from chocolate if you want the same flavors. Some fun chocolatey options would be dark chocolate, Devil's Food, German chocolate, or triple chocolate.
Tips For Making Chocolate And Mint Cupcakes
- Don't overmix. Once your cake mix ingredients are just combined, stop mixing — if you overdo it, your cupcakes will come out tough.
- Use an ice cream scoop. It's the best way to fill the cupcake cups evenly! Remember to fill them just ¾ of the way to prevent overflow.
- Cool completely. If you try to frost your chocolate and peppermint cupcakes when they're still warm, the whipped cream will slide off.
- Play with the minty flavor. Definitely feel free to adjust the amount of peppermint extract and Andes baking chips you use. More will of course make the mint more pronounced, while using less will give you a more subtle flavor.
- It's best to serve these right away. Freshly whipped cream holds up decently in the refrigerator for a few days, but it has the best texture right after you make it.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- You can pull the eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before getting started to make mixing easier. You can also make and freeze the cupcakes and then thaw and frost when you are ready to serve.
- Leftovers and storage- Store any leftover cupcakes in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
What To Serve With Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
If you want to serve your chocolate peppermint cupcakes alongside some other festive desserts, I've got you covered! Be sure to check out my recipes for:
Other Delicious Cupcake Recipes To Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 6 ounces hot chocolate mix
- 1 cup warm water
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 5 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract divided
- 1 cup Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar add an additional Tablespoon if needed
- Red and green sugar sprinkles for garnish
- Red and white paper straws cut into thirds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together cake mix, hot chocolate mix, water, oil, eggs and 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract until just combined.
- Fold in the peppermint baking chips.
- Fill the cupcake cups ¾ of the way (an ice cream scoop works great for this).
- Bake 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely.
- In a large, cold metal bowl and using an electric mixer, whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar and remaining peppermint extract until it forms fluffy, slightly stiff peaks.
- Pipe whipped cream onto the tops of the cupcakes.
- Sprinkle with red and green sugar sprinkles and place a straw into each cupcake at a diagonal angle. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Don't overmix. Once your cake mix ingredients are just combined, stop mixing — if you overdo it, your cupcakes will come out tough.
- Use an ice cream scoop. It's the best way to fill the cupcake cups evenly! Remember to fill them just ¾ of the way to prevent overflow.
- Cool completely. If you try to frost your chocolate and peppermint cupcakes when they're still warm, the whipped cream will slide off.
- Play with the minty flavor. Definitely feel free to adjust the amount of peppermint extract and Andes baking chips you use. More will of course make the mint more pronounced, while using less will give you a more subtle flavor.
- It's best to serve these right away. Freshly whipped cream holds up decently in the refrigerator for a few days, but it has the best texture right after you make it.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- You can pull the eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before getting started to make mixing easier. You can also make and freeze the cupcakes and then thaw and frost when you are ready to serve.
- Leftovers and storage- Store any leftover cupcakes in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
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